Of Secrets and Swords
by DreamersMyth27
Summary: Damian knew that he would eventually have to come face to face with his past. He knew he'd have to tell them. He just wished it was on his terms.
1. Looking Back, Looking Forward

**This is pretty AU, so it'll be really important that you read this note so you're not confused.**

 **Damian will be taking the place of Dick Grayson as the acting Robin in the 1st season of Young Justice. Basically, the Bat-family has been around for ages, since Dick was first Robin, but they were really good at staying out of the spotlight until the Justice League formed when and as it did in Young Justice canon. Batman kept his protege Robin (Tim at the time) out of sight. By the time Damian came around, he was less careful, and that's when rumours of Batman having a protege became common. Eventually, Damian-as-Robin made a public appearance with Batman saving someone on TV. This is what started the trend of young heroes.**

 **As for the Justice League, while Clark, Diana, and Dinah know who Batman is and that he had more than one Robin, no one else is aware. Damian starts out pretty prickly, but when he first meets Kid Flash, they become fast friends and that helps Damian become more relaxed. Wally is** ** _not_** **aware of Damian's identity as Robin, unlike in Young Justice canon.**

 **I'm taking several creative liberties with Damian as well. Since he's taking the place of Dick Grayson as Robin, we're going to assume that being older and having Dick as an influence has mellowed him out considerably. This means everything that happened in Young Justice season 1 is canon excluding the tie-in comic series and season 2. The mission to the circus still happens, but Damian goes because he knows how much it means to Dick, not because it's his home. I was actually going to mention that in the story at one point, but I couldn't find a good spot.**

 **I use a mix of pre-New 52, New 52, and Rebirth for my comic timeline. Though really Rebirth and New 52, Dick became Robin at 16? Are the creators just trying to keep Bruce younger than 30? So Dick got adopted at 9, Jason at 12, and Tim at 16-ish when his dad died.**

 **Dick in this story is 25.**

 **Jason is 21.**

 **Tim is 19.**

 **Damian is 14, and also, we're assuming his birthday is on December 1st, like Young Justice canon Dick's is in season 1.**

 **That's all the information you should need! Make sure to leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 **Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

Damian was fourteen now. He wasn't the same person he'd been when he was ten. He was more relaxed, as close as he could get to normal, he was… him. He wasn't a completely different person though. He still drew. He still had Titus and Alfred the Cat. He was still a vegetarian. Still well trained. But finally, for the first time in his life, he felt like a normal kid, or as close as he would ever get.

He could actually smile now because he understood reasons to smile and could find them. He made jokes, and Drake liked to say he was copying Grayson; Damian said he was emulating the best Robin.

He was different as Robin too, not just as Damian. He wore a different costume, one more reminiscent of Grayson's original, but with the addition of pants. (Why Grayson had thought wearing a leotard while fighting crime was a good idea, Damian had no idea.) He used a different fighting style, one that incorporated more acrobatics that Damian had worked hard to become masterful at with Grayson's help, but still utilized his League of Assassins training. (He would sometimes still slip and almost use a killing strike. It hurt that he couldn't seem to erase the last bit of the shame of his younger years.)

He hadn't killed someone since he was ten, almost eleven. And now that he thought about it, about how the deaths of his family would affect him if they ever did die, he couldn't believe he'd ever done something as horrible as taking a life or attempting to. That he'd tried to kill Drake. That he hadn't felt remorseful until almost two years later. That sometimes, he would still think killing the criminals would make their job easier.

(Hedl never stop thinking those people should die, he thought. But every time he does think it, he ignored the voice of his mother and grandfather ringing throughout his head telling him it was the truth.)

Now that he was a better person, a better Robin, he had friends, real friends, other than Colin that is. He met Kid Flash, Wally West, and the speedster quickly became one of his best friends. Wally made him feel that much more like a normal kid and made him feel so much less serious, less like he had to be on guard all the time.

A few weeks after meeting Wally, Grayson had somehow managed to convince his father to let him meet Speedy as well. It was probably an attempt to get Damian more friends after the success of Wally. It worked pretty well too; he and Roy became quick friends, mostly because Wally was friends with Damian and Roy separately, so even if they hadn't liked each other, they would have been forced to meet at least a few times. Damian likes to think that even if he and Wally hadn't become friends though, he still would have ended up friends with Roy Harper. The teen had a small amount of darkness inside of him, one that reminded Damian of himself. One that made Damian understand him.

After knowing each other for a few months, Wally and Roy had both shared their identity with each other, because they both knew that as Robin, Damian already knew their identities. He didn't tell them his identity. He couldn't bring himself to, because if he did, he knew he'd want to tell them everything about him, just like they told him everything about them. Just like Wally told him all about being bullied at school. Just like Roy told him all about Brave Bow. He trusted them with his life, but he wasn't sure he trusted them with his life story or at least trusted them to want to be his friend after hearing it.

So the years went by, and Damian started to work with more and more heroes, meet more and more heroes. It had taken a long time to be allowed to see most of them, and even though Damian knew it was because his father was distrusting, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe his father was ashamed of him. That couldn't be the truth though, so he kept those thoughts to himself.

Then something happened that made Damian so happy, so amazed; his father said he was going to be taking the first steps of joining the Justice League, along with four other young partners.

On the Fourth of July, Robin, along with Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad, met at the front of the Hall of Justice. Then an emergency and Roy left, claiming the adults didn't trust them (Damian couldn't help but think it was true now. Otherwise why wouldn't he have known about the Watchtower?), and a whole thing with Superman's newly discovered clone.

His father formed a team, and they took missions, soon being joined by Miss Martian and Artemis. This left Damian with quite a few friends. Ones he just, he couldn't let them know who he was. Who he used to be.

Artemis was the one he was most worried about. She had been raised in a way that was very similar to him. Her father worked hard to turn her into a weapon. He taught her many different fighting styles, Damian was sure. So worked hard to hide any signs of killing blows, averted though they may be, in his fighting style, because unlike the others, she would recognize them.

He hid his accent within a strong Gotham drawl because even after all his time living in Gotham, he still didn't sound American; you could still hear the accent he acquired while living with the League of Assassins. Artemis would have been trained to recognize it by her father, and Damian didn't want her to think he was a killer. She had escaped from what her family wanted for her. Damian hadn't, at least not at first.

He didn't want her to think him weak. Would she even though? But no, Damian knew she wouldn't. Or at least, he hoped she wouldn't. He didn't even know what he knew. Even after being around Grayson, making friends, he still didn't fully understand relationships between people, or how to be a good friend.

And he was sure the Team noticed when he started to talk more like a Gothamite, but no one said anything, not even Wally when Damian was over at his house. He was glad nobody questioned it. It made everything so much easier. Artemis would never know he wasn't from Gotham. And that was exactly what he wanted.

For good measure, he started to use his made up words more too. She found them incredibly annoying; it made for a good way to distract her further from thinking about anything else that would give him away.

The Team expanded, and Zatanna joined. Then Rocket. Roy did too, before he became part of the Justice League, just like he'd been aiming for. But then villains took over.

They learned Roy, one of Damian's best friends was a clone. They fought the brainwashed League. After they won the fight, Zatanna kissed him, and he kissed her back. Then they all discovered the missing sixteen hours.

Right after the whole mess had been mostly cleaned up, Damian went home with his father, and was told something he hadn't expected: He was allowed to tell the Team his identity. But instead of the excitement, he was sure his father meant to give him, all Damian felt was dread.

It wasn't that he didn't want to share his identity. He did, he really did. He just knew that as soon as he did, he'd want to tell them everything about himself. And if he didn't, he'd want to use his normal voice, because he's been on TV, okay, and they would tell him he doesn't have to hide his accent around them, and then Artemis would recognize it, and everyone would hate him.

Even if Artemis didn't recognize his accent, then people would feel more comfortable asking him about why he sometimes just kind of, stopped. Not stopped working, but stopped showing emotions. It wasn't that he ever meant to, but it just happened. If he was too happy, or something like that, it was easier for him to just stop. Happiness was amazing, but he still didn't quite have the hang of it.

So yeah, telling the Team wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Not if he wanted to keep making jokes with Wally. Not if he wanted to cook with M'gann. Not if he wanted to watch static with Conner. Not if he wanted to spar with Artemis in their easy fashion. Not if he wanted to talk about books with Kaldur. Not if he wanted to get to know Raquel at some point. And most importantly, not if he wanted to find a way to keep his tongue from tying up around Zatanna.

So for now, Damian would continue going there as Robin and taking turns patrolling with his father in Gotham, and Grayson in Bludhaven. He would enjoy the time with his father and laugh during his time with Grayson. He and his father would share a companionable silence they both valued, and him and Grayson would rip apart words and laugh at the sheer dumbness of the English language.

Laughing was something he enjoyed to do, and even more so around Grayson, who was really still a big child at heart. He did laugh around others but around Grayson the most. For some reason, the man had ways to draw laughter out of him in a way nothing else could. Drake would joke about how Damian grew a twisted sense of humour, which yeah, it was, but he didn't think anyone was complaining; not with his attitude change since the age of ten.

With the laughter came an ability to control himself when Grayson wasn't there. Which he was unsure how he felt about. On one hand, he wasn't as likely to make impulsive decisions. On the other, self-control meant that everyone felt safe making fun of him or teasing. Especially Drake. And especially about Zatanna.

Damian ignored them and resisted the urge to use one of the many knives laying around the Manor, or his sword. He didn't use that anymore though, not unless he was the only one in the Batcave. Something about using a tool that had taken lives didn't sit right with him. Not anymore. So most of the time, his sword sat in display case 13 gathering dust, along with the rest of his League of Assassins gear. He would always keep it though because as much as he didn't want to admit it, it had been a gift from his mother and he treasured it.

He knew his family wouldn't say anything if he looked at it every once in awhile if he practised using it in the Batcave, but he didn't want to use it, even look at it, where they could see. What if his father thought he was going back to killing people? What if the others did?

Overall, Damian felt like he was a better person though. Sure, he hadn't shared his secrets with the Team yet, like they had with him and everyone else. And he was sure that they thought the vigilantes in Gotham weren't connected. After all, Red Hood was a killer, with tales of him fighting Batman popping up as much as tales of him helping Batman. It was quite hilarious when the team would talk about and share theories about Gotham's vigilante community, or debating over the chance that they were all related. Strangely though, no one ever approached Damian and asked him. It only seemed to be Gothamites that realized there had been more than one Robin, and even they thought Grayson and Todd were the same one, though many did realize that whoever the first Robin was, he became Nightwing. After all, Robin-the-perpetual-teenager was a bit much, even for them.

The other vigilantes were talked about often as well by the team. Black Bat, for example, Everyone knew that she was connected to Batman in some way, mostly because of the name. For her, there were many stories, ranging from a former assassin, his father's illicit child, to a demon. And Batgirl, Damian shuddered every time he heard people speculating that she was Batman's girlfriend.

Were they all a big family? A completely random assortment of people following in Batman's footsteps?

A gang they were tracking had once speculated that they were all a part of his harem. This one, to Damian's shame, had had him seeing red, and it took Colin tackling him to realize he'd pulled a Batarang like a dagger, to use against the one who insulted his family like that. Patrol had finished after that.

But while the rest of the Team seemed content to think these things and discuss them while leaving Damian out of it, Artemis had no such qualms. She asked him anything about them she wanted to, usually with a smirk. Damian was sure she knew there had been a few Robins. He was also sure she knew Red Robin had been Robin at one point as well, which was a step farther in logic than almost anyone in Gotham made. Even though she knew all this though, she never told the team, just kept asking Damian questions that he avoided.

He couldn't answer them, because some hit too close to home. They would lead to things being discovered about him, things he didn't want to be discovered. So for now, the Team didn't have to know his face, or his name, to accept him as their friend. Damian was content with this. His hidden accent kept him safe, his almost Grayson like behaviour kept him safe. Kept _them_ safe. They never needed to know that their Robin had once easily and even proudly, killed anyone for any reason. Their idea of him could remain… untarnished.


	2. Nightwing

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

"So then I was like ' _What type of person just assumes that because I act goofy, I'm not smart enough to get these grades without cheating?'_ , and my teacher just kinda turned really red and looked at me like I'd just murdered their cat. Like, I don't get it. I mean, why would I cheat? They should know that I've had good grades my whole life. What do you think, Rob?"

Damian closed his eyes from behind his sunglasses and leaned back on the couch, putting his arms behind his neck. He could smell the cookies M'gann was baking. At this point, they were getting very close to Pennyworth's level. Next to him, he heard Artemis huff and rustle. He assumed she was crossing her arms, and he could almost see the fond smile she was sending Wally's way. Just his luck to be sitting in between the two lovebirds.

"I think you worry too much, KF," he answered. He kept his eyes closed, and a grin slid onto his face. "Your teacher won't be able to do much more than accuse you of cheating. She needs proof to go to anyone, and if you mention your uncle is a forensic scientist, no one will think it's possible you cheated."

"Oh, I didn't know your uncle was a scientist, Wally," M'gann chirped from the kitchen.

"Nor was I aware of that. I do not believe that any of us were," Kaldur said.

Damian opened his eyes and looked around the room at everyone. They were all looking at Wally with varying degrees of interest.

"Oh yeah. I guess I never told you guys. Well, except for Rob here." Wally sounded sheepish. "But yeah, my uncle works for the police as a scientist. It's handy because then he gets access to crime scenes without having to sneak on." Wally poked Damian in the ribs. Damian waved the hand away and glared at Wally though his sunglasses. "Makes his work as the Flash, like, a hundred times easier."

"Hey! I'll have you know that Batman and I have an associate that gets us onto crime scenes just as easily," Damian said.

"Really? I didn't know you had a cop letting you onto crime scenes. Especially in Gotham. They must be trustworthy." Artemis sounded surprised, as well as impressed.

"Oh, it's not a police officer, it's Commissioner Gordon," Damian bragged. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he kicked himself. He's Robin. He shouldn't be having some dumb contest over whose way of getting onto crime scenes is better, especially not with his best friend.

"Wow," Wally said, and let out a low whistle. "That's pretty cool, dude. Why didn't you tell us that? I mean, everyone knows that Commissioner Gordon tells Batman stuff and that Batman gives the Commish the bad guys he catches, but I never knew that he just lets you and Batman onto crime scenes!"

Damian shifted uncomfortably under the looks he could feel everyone giving him. He really shouldn't have talked. He should have just shut up. Then he wouldn't have to deflect all of Wally's questions.

"Yeah, Robin, why didn't you tell us that? And how did you get Commissioner Gordon to help you guys like that? He isn't the type to just let some random capes onto his crime scenes," Artemis said with a smirk. She was enjoying this way too much, in Damian's opinion.

"I can't say anything else," he said shortly.

"Oh, that's too bad," Artemis said. Damian didn't like her tone. "Hey M'gann, are you good to take a break from the cookies for a bit? I had an idea for a game everyone could play."

"Oooh! What are we going to play?" M'gann was perched on the side of the couch next to Artemis before she even finished speaking.

"I was thinking we could play a question and answer game. Nothing serious, all for fun. We'll take turns. What do you think, Kaldur?" Artemis asked.

Damian turned his gaze towards Kaldur and prayed that the Atlantean wouldn't agree. Kaldur nodded his head.

Damian had a feeling Artemis was going to be targeting him during this 'game'. He liked her, he did, she was nice, but sometimes she didn't stop until she got exactly what she wanted, and she wanted to know more about Damian for some reason.

Suddenly, he was filled with an irrational fear; what if she knew about his past? What if he'd slipped up with his accent, or used a move a little bit too close to a killing strike? What if she was using all this just to trick him into telling everyone about himself? But he was being paranoid, or at least he hoped so. Artemis wouldn't know about his past, even if she recognized his fighting style and accent. She wouldn't jump to conclusions, he hopes.

"Maybe we should wait, like till Zatanna and Raquel are back from their mission," Wally said as he looked sideways at Damian, obviously picking up on his friends' reservations.

"That is a valid point, Wally. Perhaps we should wait until Zatanna and Raquel are back to continue with this 'Team bonding'," Kaldur said thoughtfully.

"C'mon, Kaldur. It's just a game. We can always play again when they get back," Artemis pointed out.

"Well." Damian hoped Kaldur wasn't about to say what he thought he was going to. "We can play then. They can join us if they wish when they arrive. Artemis, it was your idea. Why don't you start?"

Damian groaned lightly. He really didn't want to do this.

"Sure Kaldur, I'd love to start." She turned to Damian, and he lifted his head up to look at her terrifying smile. "Robin, is Black Bat really part demon?"

Damian blinked, looked at her, and blinked again. She was serious. Like, completely serious. She wasn't teasing him, or even thinking about him. She wanted to know if Black Bat was part demon. _Demon._ Maybe he was overestimating her interest in him.

"I'm sorry, did you just ask if Black Bat is a demon?"

Artemis smiled and nodded. She seemed to know the answer to the question already judging by the way her eyes were glinting, but the rest of the Team was looking at him with wide eyes and waiting for him to answer. Even Kaldur looked curious. She was asking because it was _funny_. Not for any ulterior motive. Damian had a hard time believing that, but the proof was right in front of his eyes.

"Dude," Wally said, sounding impressed. "You work with a demon? Why didn't I know that? Do you work with all the other vigilantes in Gotham? Aren't I supposed to know these things, as your best friend?"

Damian sighed, but smiled too. This was much more relaxing than he thought it would be. And amusing.

"Black Bat isn't a demon, like at all."

Damian could swear that they look disappointed, except for Artemis, who was shaking with silent laughter at everyone else.

"Okay, it's good to know that I don't have to worry about getting my soul sucked out if I ever commit a crime in Gotham," Artemis said once she calmed down. "Your turn, Boy Wonder."

"Wait!" Wally shouted. "He didn't answer my questions yet!"

Damian sighed. Wally was persistent. Wally liked learning things. And Wally had exactly zero shame in begging for what he wanted. It was both charming and abhorrent.

"I don't have to answer your questions, West."

"I'm hurt, Rob," Wally exclaimed, putting a hand over his heart. Damian snorted. Then they both broke into peals of laughter.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. What are you laughing about?" M'gann asked, brow furrowed.

Wally managed to curb his laughter with a few last chuckles, but Damian continued to snicker. When it became apparent to Wally that Damian wasn't going to answer, he did.

"It's just, Rob here was _mean_ when I first met him. Like, evil." Wally poked Damian in the ribs as if everyone needed to be reminded who he was talking about. Damian slapped his friend's hand away lightly. "And that was one of the first things he said to me when we met."

Wally dissolved into laughter at the Team's shocked faces, and Damian found his snickers growing louder. They looked absolutely ridiculous.

"I met Wally about three years ago when I was eleven. Let's just say I was a little, well, rough around the edges," Damian said, amusement clearly visible.

"Okay," Artemis said slowly, eyes darting between Damian and Wally. "Strange things we never knew about Robin aside; you still have to ask someone a question, Robin."

"Okay," Damian said, smile still lingering on his face. "Conner, you've been spending time with Superman lately. What have you guys done together?"

Conner shifted in his chair, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "Well, he took me out to meet his parents a few days ago. They're pretty nice."

Damian snorted. He'd never heard the Kents described in such… loose fitting terms. Having met them a few times, he could honestly say that they were some of the kindest people on the planet, not just 'pretty nice'.

"My turn?" Conner asked. M'gann nodded from her spot beside Artemis. "Wally, where did your superspeed come from?"

Wally grinned. "So, my Uncle Barry is the Flash, and when I found out, I stole the notes he had from the experiment he used to get superspeed and recreated the experiment in my garage. My parents were pretty mad because I blew it up. I ended up spending awhile in the hospital, and when I got out, I didn't have superspeed, so I thought I failed. Then one day, I was walking, and I started running, and lo and behold, superspeed."

"You blew up your garage?" M'gann sounded worried, but Wally waved it off.

"Yeah, no big though. Uncle Barry convinced the League to pay for it."

Damian quirked an eyebrow at Wally, but his friend seemed oblivious to what M'gann was really worried about.

"Now it's my turn to ask a question," Wally said and poked Damian in the ribs again. Damian slapped his friend's hand again, hard.

"Why can't you stop poking me?" he demanded.

Wally didn't answer him. Instead he ignored Damian's question completely. "So Rob, are Batgirl and Batman dating? Or is Batgirl your mom?"

Damian choked. "W-what!? You think Batgirl is my mother?"

Wally shrugged. "Well, it makes sense. She's got the whole bat thing going on, just like Batman. So, is she?"

"No." Damian shuddered. "She's, Batgirl is only a few years older than I am."

"Oh." Wally looked embarrassed. "So, your turn again, Robin."

Damian sighed and turned to M'gann. "How 'bout you go? I've already had a turn."

"Okay. Thank you, Robin!" she said brightly, then she turned to Wally "I was wondering, how did you and Robin first meet? It sounds interesting, and I'd like to know what you mean by 'Robin was mean'."

Wally's mouth stretched open into a devious smile. Before he could say anything though, Damian begged him, _begged him,_ "Please, don't."

"Oh, it's too late for that," Wally said, and then he launched into the story:

"I'd been Kid Flash for about a month when Uncle Barry decided I should start meeting other heroes. We started with nice ones, like Superman, Green Lantern-Hal, not John-, Black Canary. Then he introduced me to Green Arrow and Speedy, which was nice, because meeting a hero my age was totally cool, and Roy and I became good friends afterwards through texting and video games.

"I guess Uncle Barry saw how much I liked having a friend my age who was also a hero because it was someone I could tell everything to, civilian life and hero life, because he told me that I was going to get to meet Batman and Robin. I mean, I had only been a hero at this point for like, three months, and Robin was the first, so I was excited. We were meeting in Gotham, and Batman told my uncle we were meeting on this really tall building's roof.

"Then my uncle and I turned up on this empty roof in the middle of Gotham, and suddenly Batman and Robin were there. Robin had a completely different costume back then, like all dark and with a hood, and he had glared at me like I killed someone, and then he glared at Batman. But he was Robin! I was so excited that I just ran forward and started shaking his hand and gushing about how awesome he was and asking him questions. Robin stopped glaring, and he looked really confused before he sniffed ' _I do not have to answer your questions, West.'_

"Then Batman and Uncle Barry left us on the roof, and I swear I heard Batman tell my uncle ' _At least if he's hurt, he'll heal fast,'_ but I wasn't too worried. I mean, Batman was probably joking anyways. Robin kept glaring at the air, so I decided to make him smile, and started telling him all these jokes, and finally, he scoffed and said ' _At least I know how I will die.'_

"I was like, super confused, and then Robin said ' _Your bad puns.'_

"I said he was a jerk, and told him he couldn't come up with anything better than what I could, and we started telling each other all these puns. When Batman and Uncle Barry came back, I had officially decided that Robin was mean, and I wasn't going to talk to him again, but then just as my uncle and I were about to run off, Robin tapped my shoulder and asked ' _What is your username on Halo?'_

"And that's how Rob and I became friends," Wally ended with a flourish.

The room was silent for a beat, then: "That was certainly… interesting. I was not aware that is how your first meeting went."

Damian put his head in his hands with a big sigh. "Let's just say that my eleven-year-old self really, _really_ needed a friend, and didn't know how to make them very well. And I'm pretty sure I was suffering from Batman-itis at the time."

"You're still suffering from Batman-itis, dude. I mean, we don't even know your name. And I'm your best friend!"

Damian lifted his head out of his hands and grinned at Wally. Then he said brightly "No you're not. Colin is."

"Who's Colin?" Wally screeched.

"Relax, Wally. I was kidding." Wally visible relaxed, and then Damian added: "You're tied for the title of best friend with Colin."

An awkward silence filled the room. The sound of the zeta-beams was a relief.

"Ooh, I think Zatanna and Raquel are back," M'gann sung, immediately flying towards the sound.

The rest of the Team followed, Wally grumbling under his breath and Artemis elbowing him in the ribs good-naturedly. They all came to a halt as they realized that the figure wearing a mask over their face and holding an escrima stick, but other than that was dressed like anyone off the street, was definitely not one of their teammates. Superboy growled until he was interrupted by Artemis making a noise that was… not quite a squeal or a shriek, but was damaging to the eardrums nonetheless.

"That's Nightwing!" she hissed loudly, shaking Wally's shoulders. The Team's looks of distrust melted away into vague awe and confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Damian asked, voice clipped. There was a tension to Nightwing's shoulders, that combined with his tight mouth suggested something was terribly wrong.

"What? I can't come see my little brother?" Grayson asked, with all the false charm and ease that didn't fool Damian a bit. But, he realized after a beat, was definitely fooling his teammates.

"Nightwing's your _brother?_ " Wally shouted, gaping at the hero, then at Robin. "Dude!"

"I had not realized that the vigilantes of Gotham were related," Kaldur said cautiously.

"We're not," Damian snapped. Hesitated. "Mostly not. It depends? It's very confusing, and definitely not asterous." Damian finished with a weak smile, trying to regain equilibrium.

" _Anywho,_ " Grayson interjected, casually twirling his escrima stick. It was a habit he'd adapted after becoming Damian's Batman, a distraction to keep anyone from seeing how nervous he was. "I need to talk to Robin about something. Now."

Damian tilted his head. Something was wrong, but Grayson wouldn't tell him, at least not in front of the Team. He needed to find out whatever it was that bothered his brother enough to send him rushing here with only his mask and a single escrima stick.

"We can talk in my room," Damian said. He didn't mention that it was soundproof as well. He was pretty sure Grayson already knew that anyway.

"Good."

Okay, now Damian was worried. Grayson never did anything without a smile or at least a joke. That he was so serious he only used one normal word couldn't be a good sign. Not at all.

They went down the halls of the cave, Grayson leading. Damian heard the Team following them. They were definitely confused and wanting answers, but Damian didn't think he could give them any. Not if Grayson felt the need to talk away from the Team.

They walked into his room, and he closed the door behind them, leaving the Team standing outside his room.

"What is it, Nightwing? What's happened? Is father alright?" He could hardly contain the questions, and he had a thousand more just waiting to be asked, but before he could ask anything more, Grayson held a hand up.

"Bruce is fine. He's still in Japan."

Damian waited, but nothing further was said by the man.

"What's wrong then?"

"Case 13. You forgot to put your things away. Your mom had to clean them up."

Damian frowned. His mother didn't clean- mother! Suddenly what Grayson was saying through the code hit him. (Because after all, even soundproofing could only go so far with a half-Kryptonian clone. It was good, but not perfect.) His mother took his sword. She took it, and he doesn't know why. She could be trying to get his attention and get him back. She could be trying to lure him into a trap and kill him. Or what if she was trying to help his grandfather take over Damian's body. Maybe she just didn't want her 'ungrateful son' to have her gift. He wasn't sure which one was worse.

Whatever the case, his mother wanted him to come to her or wanted to get his attention. Whatever reason it was, it couldn't be good. And he needed the sword back. Normally he'd be happy to let her get away with taking something small, but the sword is important to him, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

"How can we get it back?" he asked because he couldn't let her keep it. He just couldn't.

"Robin." Grayson pulled the mask off his face. "Damian. I can't help. Not with this one."

"What! Why?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Damian flinched. It sounded just like something he would have said when he was ten. The demanding tone. The entitlement.

"Kori's friend, he's gone missing. He's being held by a terrorist organization, and she can't find him. If I don't help, someone will die."

Damian nodded. He understood, he really did. At the moment, someone's life was more important than the tool Damian used to take lives. He wished he could rationalize it that way in his own head because even though he understood, he still thought Grayson should be helping him.

"I need you to promise me something, Damian. You can't go after your sword. Not alone. Your mom, we don't know what she wants. You need to wait for Bruce. Promise me, Damian."

Something about Grayson's desperate voice pulls something from Damian, and he removes his sunglasses from his face. "I shall not go after my mother without accompaniment, Grayson. And should we not keep our eyes covered and still be speaking in code, just in case?"

His joke has the effect he wants, and Grayson smiles, if weakly. "You're right, Robin. Just, stay in the cave for now, too. I don't want you in Gotham alone."

Grayson opened the door, mask firmly in place, and Damian rushed to put his sunglasses on. He shouldn't have been so off-guard.

Damian followed Grayson back to the zeta-beams. He knew he was acting like a lost puppy, following Grayson like this, but he needed to know that his brother wasn't lying about Koriand'r, and going to New York. If Grayson got himself killed trying to get Damian's sword back, he'd never forgive the fool.

Then the zeta-beam lit up, and Grayson was gone to New York, just like he'd said. Damian closed his eyes. Any moment now someone was going to ask him something, and he would need to brush their questions off and pretend he wasn't worried about whatever his mother was planning. Pretend his mother wasn't planning anything.

"What was that?" Wally asked.

Damian turned around and opened his eyes. "That was nothing for you to worry about. It is unimportant. Just something Nightwing wanted me to be aware of."

"It wasn't nothing, Robin. Your emotions are all over the place, and so were his," M'gann said. She was biting her lip. "You feel scared, angry, and sad, all at the same time, and so did he. Robin, tell us what's wrong."

Damian shook his head. "I can not."

"Can't, or won't?" Conner asked, arms crossed and unimpressed stare levelled at him.

"Will not. It is none of _your_ business. None of yours." Damian glared at them all, daring anyone to say anything.

"Robin." Damian's head snapped towards Kaldur. "Whatever has happened, we will not pry. But-"

"You're our friend, dude," Wally said. "You can tell us anything. And you're my _best_ friend. Whatever's wrong, you don't need to be afraid to tell me. Tell us."

Damian lowered his gaze. He couldn't do this right now. He needed to be alone. He couldn't let anything slip, at all. He couldn't let them guilt trip him into saying anything.

"Hey," Artemis whispered. She was right in front of him. When did that happen? "Robin. I get it. It's better to say what's wrong though, instead of hiding it."

Damian took a deep breath and looked up at Artemis. She looked so earnest. Then he looked around at the rest of the Team. He took another deep breath.

"Okay, I will inform you of what has happened. Talia al Ghul, she is after me. I do not know what she wants, but she took something. My most treasured possession to lure me to her. Nightwing came to warn me, and to order me not to return to Gotham until he has returned or Batman has."

"What did she take?" M'gann asked quietly. Her eyes were incredibly sad. Damian knew he shouldn't be mad at her; he was pretty sure he was basically broadcasting his feelings to her, but still, he was, just a little.

"It is, I can not tell you. I just-I can not."

"We understand, Robin," Kaldur said, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was only now he realized that the whole Team was surrounding him.

"Rob, we'll help get your stuff. We can do it," Wally said.

Damian's head snapped around towards the speedster so fast, it nearly looked like a blur. "No! It is too dangerous. You do not know how she works. She will kill you the first chance she gets." Then, quieter: "And I promised Nightwing I would not go alone."

"You wouldn't be alone," Artemis said firmly. "We would be with you."

Damian didn't know what to say. He never, he never thought that they would do this for him; go up against Talia al Ghul, without knowing what it was for, just to help him. It was heartwarming.

"Fine, but… we cannot tell Nightwing or Batman. They do not like me going up against Talia al Ghul alone. And you cannot let her catch you! She is evil. She will, she will not hesitate to make you suffer! She hates me…" His voice became progressively smaller as he continued talking.

"When are we going?" Conner asked in that final way of his.

"I-I do not know. I thought," he hesitated. "I thought it might be prudent to wait for Zatanna and Raquel to arrive back. They may not wish to come, but they will wish to be informed of this mission."

Everyone looked at him blankly.

"Dude," Wally began. "Your-your voice. It's, I didn't notice it before, but your voice is different. Like, when I first met you it was different, but not this different. And you're not even using any dumb made-up words."

Damian belatedly realized he'd dropped his false accent when he started to talk more. He sounded formal, and a strange mixture of British and Middle Eastern. It was too late to hide it again, and he didn't think he'd be able to, even if he tried. He was too stressed.

"You have an accent," Artemis said blankly. "I know where it's from."

Oh no. Now she would tell everyone he was a killer, or used to be. She would hate him, or not trust him. She would tell everyone, and he would lose some of his best friends. He couldn't let her finish talking.

"You were raised in Europe, yeah?"

Damian felt like he'd been slapped. She wasn't going to tell anyone? But it was obvious she knew what his accent really meant. Where he'd come from. That he'd killed at least one person. Why wouldn't she tell anyone? He didn't understand, not fully. Sure, they're friends, but he's a killer, even when he tries to hide from it.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"Why are you Robin then, if you're not even from Gotham? Why the fake accent?" Wally asked. "Does this mean Batman isn't your dad?"

"It is a long story, Wally. I am not trying to hide something about myself. It just, I slip up and it shows when I am stressed.

There was a beat of silence, and then Kaldur started to talk. "I believe it would be a wise choice to wait for Zatanna and Raquel and inquire if they would like to accompany us on this mission. If they don't, then they will know where we are in case of an emergency."

Damian nodded, and everyone fell silent.

* * *

 **Starfire is mentioned in this story, but her origin is changed to match the altered canon better. Because the Teen Titans didn't exist in this universe she crashed in Gotham while Dick Grayson was Robin. He helped save her and she learned English from him. Together they defeated the aliens that'd captured her. She works as a hero in New York City along with Nightwing, who splits his time between Bludhaven and New York (Though he sometimes helps out in Gotham). Her day job is modelling. Her and Nightwing are dating.**


	3. Gotham Docks

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

When Zatanna and Raquel arrived back to solemn faces and silence, Damian knew he'd have to explain everything that had happened before asking if they wanted to help. Not just because they deserved to know what the rest of the team knew, but also because he didn't want to hide anything from Zatanna, not if everyone else knew. Luckily, or unluckily, Wally took it upon himself to tell them everything that had transpired.

They looked pretty surprised and kept glancing at him. He was sure both of them had been especially shocked to hear Wally tell them he was 'British'; he hadn't spoken a word since trying to avoid telling Wally about why he lived in Gotham. He supposed he was lucky that no one other than Artemis recognized the League's accent.

As soon as Kaldur interrupted Wally's rambling, Damian looked up at Zatanna and Raquel. Would they want to come with? Would they tell someone about this mission? Would they hate him for hiding things, even if they only knew a fraction of the truth?

He was surprised to only see determination in their eyes. And when both of them agreed to come, he wasn't just surprised, he was shocked. No one seemed to be angry at him for hiding information about himself, and yeah, no one had been mad at Artemis, Conner, or M'gann when they revealed secrets about themselves, but this was different. Or at least, that's what he thought. Damian was beginning to think his paranoia was unfounded. It was strange.

After Zatanna and Raquel agreed to come with, everyone meandered off. They wouldn't leave until it was closer to nighttime in Gotham; vigilante work was best suited for the dark. Damian waited in the main cavern though. He wanted, needed to be alone. He was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, it's pretty cool that you're from Britain," Zatanna said, a crooked smile covering her face.

Damian scoffed. Wally was his best friend, but sometimes he didn't think before he talked.

"I am _not_ British."

Zatanna snorted in disbelief but sat down next to him on the floor.

"So, what's bothering the Boy Wonder? And don't say nothing. Whatever Talia al Ghul took from you, it's important. Talk to me, Robin."

Damian sighed deeply and slumped further. "I can not say, Zatanna. It is nothing against you or anyone, it is just incredibly private."

Zatanna's tinkling laugh rang throughout the cavern. She punched him in the shoulder. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I mean, you can tell me what's wrong. It's not just your stuff being taken. It's something… bigger."

Damian rubbed his shoulder where she'd punched him. "I just, nothing important. I cannot tell you."

"Which is it? Nothing important, or you can't tell me?" There was something challenging about her tone.

"Neither. Both. I do not know," Damian said, feeling helpless.

Zatanna's face fell, but she left it alone after that. They simply sat in a comfortable silence. It was only a few hours later that Zatanna finally got up.

"I'm going to grab some food before we leave. Do you want any?"

Damian shook his head. How could he eat with his stomach rolling in a strange mixture of nerves and fear?

"Okay. See you later, Boy Wonder." She bent down and kissed his cheek right before walking away.

Damian stayed frozen there, for how long he didn't know, but when he finally did move, he was sure his face was burning. He brought one gloved hand up to his cheek, and gently touched the spot she'd pecked his cheek.

It was at that inopportune moment that Wally burst in. Damian snapped his hand back to his side and prayed that whatever blush was covering his cheeks wasn't obvious to anyone. The rest of the Team followed Wally in. Everyone was in costume. Damian found himself idly wondering how long it'd been since Zatanna had kissed him.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by Kaldur.

"Are you ready to leave, Robin?"

Damian jumped to his feet and gave Kaldur a small smile. "Born that way."

"Then let us leave."

Damian followed Kaldur and the rest of them into the zeta-beam. A bluish light shone before his vision, along with a robotic voice announcing their destination and clearance codes. They came out in a Gotham alley one by one.

It was darker than normal, in part thanks to the thick cloud coverage. Damian couldn't help but be thankful for that. They were all his friends, but almost none of them understood the concept of _covert_. And that was what this mission needed to be.

One mind-link later, and they were all flying and running on top of the buildings. Damian didn't know where they were heading yet, which he really should find out; the sword had a tracker for a reason.

He stopped suddenly on a rooftop and turned his holo-glove. A few keys typed in and he had an answer. Gotham Docks.

 _-Robin, where are you?-_ Kaldur asked over the mind-link.

 _-I stopped on a rooftop near Downtown Gotham,-_ he thought back. _-I needed to activate the tracker on my item.-_

 _-Rob, dude, don't do the whole disappearing thing on us without giving some info,-_ Wally scolded. _-Talia al Ghul is after you. You could have been taken, and we wouldn't have known.-_

Damian sighed out loud, but thought back _-Understood. I will be more careful.-_

 _-Good,-_ Conner thought.

 _-So, did you find your whatever-it-is?-_ Raquel asked.

 _-Gotham Docks,-_ he informed everyone.

 _-Then that is where we will go. Kid, please bring Robin, since we are much closer than him right now,-_ Kaldur ordered, a little bit of sardonic humor tinting his voice.

Damian almost told him 'no', but he knew that no matter what, Wally would come to get him anyway.

A moment later he saw the whole world blur and felt his stomach flip. When he stopped feeling so sick, he saw the rest of the Team standing before him. They were on top of a warehouse by the docks.

 _-I don't see anyone, Robin. Are you sure the tracker led you here?-_ M'gann asked worriedly.

 _-Positive,-_ Damian confirmed. _-We should head down and look. I would say exactly where it is, but it looks like the tracker has been deactivated.-_

 _-By what? An invisible man?-_ Artemis asked brashly. _-Maybe an Assassin?-_

Damian felt an irrational spark of fear, that he prayed he didn't broadcast. Was she hinting everyone else into his background? Perhaps she was trying to tell him he didn't belong? Or maybe-

 _-I mean, it's Talia al Ghul, daughter of the Demon's Head. They're bound to have all sorts of people at their disposal, and tech,-_ Artemis continued.

Oh. She wasn't hinting at anything. She was only providing an idea. That was it.

 _-A very good point, Artemis. Zatanna, do you have a spell that can reveal anyone?-_ Kaldur asked.

 _-Uh, yeah. Just give me a minute,-_ Zatanna thought. A moment passed. _-I have one. We should probably head down there so it has further reach. I mean, I doubt there's anyone on this roof.-_

- _Then let us head down there,_ \- Kaldur ordered.

A moment later they were all on the dock. Damian didn't like it, at all. It was too calm. Normally this place would be filled with people, even at this hour. Homeless. Druggies. Henchmen. That it was so empty couldn't be good.

They all spread out across the dock. When Zatanna said her spell, there would be a better chance they saw who was hiding from them.

"Wohs su ohw sah S'nibor noisessop," Zatanna said loudly.

Suddenly a noise drew Damian's attention. He walked over to the edge of the dock and looked at the bubbling water. That must be where his sword was, along with the person who took it.

Without a second thought, he jumped into the murky water. The person wasn't that far below the surface, and Damian could just barely see his sword strapped to the back of the assassin's clothes.

He grappled with the person, all the while ignoring the shouts, concerns, and reprimands from his teammates echoing throughout his mind.

This assassin had a long knife in their hand, with a wicked looking curve to the blade. Damian twisted in the water to avoid it and scrambled to retrieve a tracker out of his belt. It was obvious he was losing this fight, he wasn't a fool, but he could try to get the tracker on before this assassin managed to get away.

Just as he managed to punch his attacker, using the motion to disguise the fact he'd tagged them, he felt himself being grabbed around the waist and pulled above the water.

Immediately he began to struggle, trying desperately to get free. He couldn't let himself be taken, couldn't-

 _-Robin,-_ Kaldur thought sharply. _-It's only me.-_

Damian relaxed right away, and only a moment later felt himself being pulled above the water. He felt himself taking large gulps of air, necessary because he'd forgotten to put his rebreather on when he jumped in the water.

He let Kaldur drag him through the water, and didn't even complain when Wally helped him onto dry land. He took another few moments catching his breath. When he had finally managed to make his oxygen level normal again, he turned to Kaldur and said "Thanks, Aqualad."

Kaldur didn't smile at him, and instead looked quite serious. "Robin, you are not alone. You should have waited for us. We are a team."

Damian squashed down his feeling of annoyance that Kaldur was reprimanding him. He knew it was dumb to do, knew he shouldn't sacrifice himself like that, but he almost wished Kaldur had gone after the assassin instead of him. He was thankful, he was. And he shouldn't have forgotten the Team. If he hadn't, they could have caught the assassin and saved his sword.

"Yes, Aqualad." Damian looked down at his sopping uniform, then back at the other members of the Team surrounding him. "Could we go back to the cave? I need a new uniform. And I know where to go next."

* * *

 **Translation for Zatanna's spell: Show us who has Robin's possessions.**


	4. Scars Tell Tales

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

As soon as the bright light of the zeta-beam disappeared and they found themselves in the cave, Zatanna screamed and pointed a finger at him.

"Robin! You're _bleeding_!"

He jerked in surprise at the sudden noise and looked down at his torso. Across his stomach there was a gaping hole in his uniform, and through that, he could see a deep cut, bleeding sluggishly, turning his red tunic a deep scarlet. Damian cursed himself for not noticing sooner. He was a professional; he knew he was supposed to check for wounds after engaging in combat.

And he should have felt it, he realized as he looked back up at the Team. All their eyes were wide and terrified, even the normally stoic Kaldur.

He should have felt it, and that's what they're thinking too. No one can just _not notice_ almost getting disemboweled. But he didn't. A gift, from being raised in the League, he supposed. You learn to work through your pain and forget it, or you die. That's why he should have checked for injuries too; he's missed them before.

His surprise at the sight of the gash must have shown though because now everyone didn't just look wide-eyed, they looked s _cared_.

"Robin," Wally began, sounding nervous. "Didn't you know that you were injured?"

He couldn't very well lie. They'd catch him, and it's obvious that Wally already knows the answer to his question. He only asked in the hope that Damian would deny it, and be telling the truth. So he shakes his head once, a sharp movement.

The looks of horror are enough to let him know what everyone was thinking.

"It is not a big deal," he muttered and turned away from everyone. "I am sure that I have had worse."

"Med-bay. _Now_ ," Zatanna said with authority. Her face had become pale as a sheet, and she looked vaguely ill.

Damian listened to her. Mostly because he is hurt, and he knows he'll need stitches, but just as much because she was very pretty, and he liked her. Also, he had the feeling that if he didn't, she would eviscerate him in a very painful manner.

Once they arrived in the med bay, she commanded him to sit on a bed. Again, he listened and observed as she began rummaging through different drawers. He watched her for a moment, then looked around. Damian resolutely avoided the other's gaze as they came walking in.

"Shirt off," Zatanna commanded once she had everything.

Damian hesitated. He didn't want to take his uniform off. Yes, he needed stitches, and yes, waiting to get them would be bad, but he didn't want his friends to see his chest. Didn't want them to see his scars.

It was different now, there was no thick sweater, no t-shirt, no swim shirt to hide behind here. He could ask them to leave, just go. That wouldn't go over well though. Wally would be hurt. Kaldur would be worried. Artemis would be angry. Raquel would be annoyed. Conner would be sad. M'gann would be distraught, heavy on the dis.

There was no way around this. They would see his scars.

He reached behind his head slowly and unclipped his cape. Then he pulled his shirt over his head.

He didn't need to see their faces to imagine what they were thinking, or their reactions, so his eyes stayed closed tightly behind his mask.

He heard Zatanna hiss, and a small gasp from M'gann, but other than that, it was quiet.

He knew the sight was horrifying. He has scars everywhere, from jagged swords and gained in hard fights, to the small, precise incision of a surgeon's scalpel as they replaced organs. There was a large scar running down his spine, from the time it was replaced. Bullet holes from his time working with Batman. And the worst one. A dark, ugly mark over his heart, on his back and chest, from when Heretic killed him.

He risked opening his eyes and saw Zatanna frozen in place, a strange look on her face, one he couldn't quite place. He didn't look towards the rest of the Team, and instead waited. When it became clear Zatanna wasn't going to be getting any stitching done with her magic, he grabbed the needle and thread from her hand.

As he threaded the needle with on hand, he started to disinfect the gash with the other. Once that was done, he began suturing the wound, he hears another hiss from Zatanna.

"You don't have any anaesthetic," she said faintly.

He waved her concern away as an unfamiliar feeling filled his stomach. "I have done it without anaesthetic before. I can do it again."

She didn't say anything else, seemingly too entranced with that tidbit of information now available to her.

He finished the suturing quickly, and the moment the last stitch was in and the thread was tied off, he pulled his ruined uniform over his body. The gash in the thick kevlar was still there, so his new stitches were still in plain sight, but it hid everything else. That was good.

He stayed on the bed, sitting up and swinging his legs. It made him look much younger than his fourteen years, and he knew it, but it also gave him something to do, something that would keep him from having to look at his friends. Keep him from having to answer the inevitable questions.

Finally, the tense silence was broken.

"How do you have a scar over your heart, like you were stabbed through it? How are you alive?"

Damian cursed in Arabic, at least in his head. Artemis didn't miss anything, so of course, she went straight for the hard question. And he couldn't answer it. How likely would they be to believe he was killed and then raised from the dead? And honestly, he didn't want them to know. It was bad enough they saw his scars. He didn't want them to start seeing him as damaged, even though he was.

But…

But maybe he could tell them the truth about that one. It wouldn't give them any clues about his identity. Damian Wayne had never died. And, he really just wanted them to know. They deserved to know after agreeing to help him find his sword.

"It is a long story," he sighed. "Let me just say death is not as final as you'd think."

"What?"

Damian looked at Wally, then back at his feet. "Well, there is no way to survive being stabbed through the heart. I was dead for a few months when I was ten. I am not sure on all the details, but I am here, so I came back."

"Necromancy!" Zatanna whispered in surprise, horror covering her features.

The rest of the Team knew what the term meant, as did Damian. They were all familiar with Solomon Grundy. They all knew that necromancy was a dark art, that could never bring someone back fully, not without something missing.

"No," Damian said, in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "It was… alien tech."

That was the closest way Damian could describe it, at least. It was closer to a magical relic, but if Zatanna heard that, what would she think of him? What did she even think of him now?

"Robin, are you okay?"

Damian looked up at M'gann. She looked saddened, but also sympathetic. It was strange.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He was confused. What did she mean, asking him that? He had only needed some stitches.

"I mean," she said softly. "Were you alright, after?"

Damian looked at her and tilted his head. "I was. I had superpowers, for a while."

"Wait, really!" Raquel exclaimed. "Do you still have them?"

"No." He scoffed, but not unkindly. "If I did, I would not have been injured by the assassin's sword."

"Speaking of the assassin, Robin, you said you knew how to find them. Did you fix the tracker on your item?" Kaldur asked, obviously giving Damian a way out of his conversation if his understanding look was anything to go by.

Just as Damian opened his mouth to reply, Wally interrupted.

"Robin, dude. Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"There are many things we will need to discuss as a team in the near future." Kaldur's gaze swept over everyone but lingered on Damian. "At the moment though, we will help Robin recover his possession."

The Atlantean's tone of voice made it clear there would be no argument. They would ask questions later, and Damian would have to answer them.

He was already dreading that conversation, but for now, he would be glad this one had ended.

"Now, Robin, I believe you were telling us about how you know where to go?"

Damian sighed deeply, then answered.

"Yes. I slipped a tracker on the assassin when I went after them in the water."

"Then we will follow where we are led. We will find what you are looking for," Kaldur said firmly.

And Damian, Damian was sure Kaldur meant it.


	5. Red Robin

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

 _-Where did you say we're going again?-_ M'gann inquired, looking back at Damian from the pilot's seat of the Bio-ship.

 _-A hotel in Downtown Gotham. It is a very… ritzy place,-_ Damian thought.

 _-Question?-_ Wally thought. _-Why is it that people build these expensive hotels in the most crime-ridden city? It seems like bad business.-_

 _-You know, you have a good point for once, Kid Mouth,-_ Artemis thought.

Everyone ignored Wally's cry of hurt echoing in their heads.

 _-I believe that it is an attempt by Bruce Wayne to make the city seem more appealing to those willing to donate and help make the city better,-_ Robin thought.

 _-That guy must not be very smart if he backs stuff like that. I mean, I don't think anything like that will fix this city,-_ Wally thought.

 _-The work that is done building places like that provides jobs to those that need them, and when they are finished, part of the profit goes to orphanages and foster families,-_ Damian thought, rather coldly.

Everyone was silent. Obviously, they hadn't expected him to defend Bruce Wayne to them so viciously. His father put _so much_ _work_ into making Gotham a better place, even when it wasn't as Batman. He built low-rent buildings, orphanages, and rehabilitation centers. He gave away scholarships. The things that kept Gotham from sinking further into the darkness than it already was. By everyone's silence, it seemed like they were realizing this too.

 _-How likely is it your stuff is in that hotel, Robin?-_ Zatanna asked, in a clear change of subject, and leaned onto his shoulder. _-I mean, the assassin could have passed it to someone else.-_

Damian tried to hide the blush he knew was forming due to her close proximity to him. He was lucky he'd had enough training to keep all his thoughts about her off the mind-link.

 _-I am almost one-hundred percent sure my item is in there along with the assassin. This hotel has a… special meaning,-_ Damian thought, that is if by special meaning, it was the place he first met his father and left his mother.

The rest of the ride in the Bio-ship was filled with meaningless conversations, of which Damian participated in none, and it was only as M'gann began to land it on a roof nearby the hotel that someone asked an important question.

- _What's the plan, Aqualad?-_ Raquel asked.

 _-I believe that Robin will be more familiar with this area and situation, and as such, he should lead this part of the mission,-_ Kaldur said firmly.

All eyes turned towards Damian expectantly, waiting for him to tell them what they were going to do. But Damian didn't want to be the leader. He couldn't be the leader. What if he led his friends to their deaths, like in the simulation?

He didn't say anything and instead walked out of the Bio-ship and onto the roof of the old apartment building they'd parked on. He relished in the familiar feeling of gravel crunching under his foot and worked hard to calm himself.

Everyone else had followed him onto the roof, and the Bio-ship was camouflaged by the time he found the courage to say anything.

Just as he was about to share over the mind-link, a voice sounded from behind him and the rest of the Team.

"So, what are you doing on this side of Gotham, Demon Brat?"

Damian whirled around sharply and jabbed the teen standing behind him in the neck, ignoring the shock coming from his teammates.

"What the hell, Robin!"

The teen had fallen down, and his limbs seemed to be limp. He looked angry. Damian walked forward and leaned over him, ignoring the warnings sent his way.

"Red Robin. I see you are a bit stuck."

"Let me up, you little jerk!"

"Fine, stay still."

Damian jabbed Drake's neck again. The teen jerked up and started to rub his neck immediately.

"Why is your first reaction to hearing a voice behind you to do that dumb pressure point? It sucks, and if you do it wrong, you'll kill me you know," Drake complained.

"I know," Damian said smugly.

His friends watched on in a strange sort of awe and fascination as Damian and Drake continued their verbal spar.

"Well, at least I know you'll stay the same after a week without seeing me. And Wally! You're supposed to be a good influence on him too!" Drake said, pointing an accusing finger at the speedster.

Wally ran right next to Damian and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude!" he whined. "Secret identity!"

Damian held up his hands, looking the picture of innocence. "It was not me! Red Robin is almost as good at hacking as I am!" Damian ignored his elder brother's snort of disbelief. "And he works with Batman. What do you expect?"

Damian could hear Wally start to grumble in his head, and Artemis begin to argue with him, but he blocked it out and focussed on Drake.

His adoptive brother looked exhausted. Not in the normal 'I'm a vigilante that's up late' way either, more in an 'I haven't slept in three days and have been living off coffee' way.

Damian narrowed his eyes.

"So, what are you doing in town, bro?" Drake asked, seemingly oblivious to the reactions Damian's friends were having inside their heads, and broadcasting to him. But Damian knew that wasn't the case; Drake knew exactly what was going on, and he was enjoying the fact they wouldn't shut up about it, verbal or not. "I thought you weren't supposed to be patrolling unless Nightwing was with you while B is gone?"

Damian sighed. It really shouldn't be so hard to do stuff in Gotham without running into some trouble. First an assassin at the docks, now his annoying brother? What was next? Todd? Or worse, Brown? Colin wouldn't be so bad, though, so maybe Colin?

Despite his frustration at being found here. At the fact that if he told Drake, the poor man would force himself to stay up later, Damian knew he had to tell. But… Maybe he could hide the fact it was his mother who had the sword.

"You know Case 13?" Tim nodded, apprehension plain in his figure. "It was stolen. I used its tracker to find it here. And Nightwing made me promise not to retrieve it alone. So I am not alone."

Tim Drake was no fool, Damian knew. If he was more awake and on less coffee, he would have caught on to Damian's blatant lie about the tracker still working and the lack of a thief's name being given. But he's not, and he wasn't, so he bought it easily.

"Do you want my help getting it?" Drake asked.

Damian shook his head. "It should not be too hard to retrieve. You should head home and get some sleep. I would hate for you to die because I forgot to warn you. Anything that happens now falls on your head."

Drake laughed. "Okay, okay, kid. I'll go sleep for a few hours. See you when B is back."

And with that, Drake flipped off the roof, much to Damian's dismay, and his teammate's delight. Honestly, did Drake have to show off like that? He could end up killing himself with how tired he was. Not that Damian cared, much. He simply didn't want to be blamed for his brother's death.

 _-Dude,-_ Wally began, sounding breathless, despite the lack of spoken words. _-Your brothers are so cool!-_

 _-You wouldn't think that if you saw some of the uniforms they used to wear,-_ Damian thought darkly.

 _-Anyways, what's the plan, Robin? But seriously, I want more info on the uniforms thing,-_ Artemis thought. Damian could see her vicious smirk and shuddered. He was only glad his uniforms had stayed more normal, in terms of crime fighters. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been like if he'd worn something like Drake, when he first struck out as Red Robin.

 _-I will be sure to inform you all about the uniforms,-_ Damian promised. It would be hilarious. - _As for the plan…-_


	6. al Ghul

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

The room was easier to infiltrate than Damian had expected. It made him nervous because he doubted his skills had suddenly outstripped the Leagues. So Damian was careful and took slow, measured steps.

He closed his eyes in his hiding spot, falling back on old, old habits, listening for a stranger's breath, the faint countdown of a bomb, anything at all. Nothing. He slit his eyes open underneath the mask, trying to see everything and nothing at all. Memorize broad strokes of a room, then narrow down the particulars. Father had taught him that one, the first layer in the foundation of their partnership.

Faint moonlight dripped through the windows, outlining the edges of the chairs and tables. The faint pattern of the rug, the carved wood of the chair. Everything and nothing in its place. Everything and nothing wrong.

Still, Damian was sure this was a trap. The easy infiltration added to the way his tracker sat blinking on top of an unobtrusive box that could easily have held his sword. Quiet. Innocuous. Never good words to explain the League.

He hesitated. He shouldn't, but, with everything as clear as it seemed, maybe…

 _-Everything appears to be empty,-_ he sent over the mind-link, along with the view of the room. _-It might be okay-_

A whoosh and Wally was scrambling over the windowsill like a beached whale. _-Time to come in!?-_

 _-No!-_ Damian snapped in annoyance, though he was sure amusement also filtered through when Wally made a face. _-It_ _ **might**_ _not be a trap,-_ he clarified. - _But, since Wally has already entered, why don't the rest of you come in. For the love of Gotham though, be careful!-_

One by one, people entered through the window. Kaldur jumped in and deactivated his water bearers. Damian was starkly reminded of the time they'd infiltrated Cadmus and the way Kaldur had entered the window then.

Next came Raquel, her form glowing with the power from her belt. Artemis came floating in gracefully and landed gently on the plush carpet. Then Conner, also floating, entered the window. Then came M'gann, who had no doubt been the one to float Conner and Artemis in.

Damian tilted his head and waited a moment longer. Where was Zatanna? But then she came floating in on a circle of purple magic, and lightly dismounted onto the windowsill as the others moved closer to Damian.

They met in the center of the room, all except for Zatanna, who was looking at glowing purple circle sadly, then she cast it away with a murmured spell.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Assassins filled the room, rushing in through the door, and the windows. And the first assassin that rushed in through the window Zatanna was standing on, grabbed her. Damian snarled, and prepared to leap at them and save the girl but before he could do anything, the assassin had a knife at her throat, pressing hard enough that Damian could see drops of red bead on the blade.

Damian froze, as did the rest of the Team at the sight of Zatanna in such a precarious situation.

 _-I'll save you, Zatanna!-_ Wally thought and got in a position to run.

 _-No!-_ Damian shouted. _-If you grab her, her throat will get sliced open! Zatanna, do not speak. Any word from you, and he will slit your throat quicker than you can get a spell out.-_

 _-G-got it, Rob-Robin,-_ Zatanna stuttered.

 _-What do we do, Robin?-_ M'gann asked, fear and worry coming from her and the others.

 _-I, I do not know,_ \- Damian said. _-We have to follow along. It is the only way.-_

 _-No!-_ Conner snarled, getting into position to leap. _-I can get her.-_

 _-You can't! She'll only die!-_ Damian said, and he was sure that his fear and anxiety travelled through the mind-link as well. _-Just trust me!-_

No one spoke anymore, but Damian could feel the unease coming off his teammates. Luckily, Conner listened and settled into a more… if not relaxed, then less battle-ready position.

Suddenly, some of their assailants moved, like the Red Sea parting, and in came a woman. She was dressed in a fine evening gown, and her brown hair was long and flowing down her back. Add to that her tan skin, and she looked like an exotic beauty, come to save them.

Damian knew better. This was his mother. This was-

 _-Talia al Ghul,-_ Artemis said, sounding surprised, then frightened. - _She's actually here. We need to leave, now. We can't face her.-_

And Damian, Damian knew that was true. There was no way they could stand up to Talia al Ghul, along with the innumerable amount of assassins she seemed to have with her. M'gann couldn't just blast them with her mind. The moment the one holding Zatanna felt anything like that, he would kill her. Standard League of Assassins protocol.

"Let Zatanna go, Talia," Artemis snarled, seeming unafraid, though Damian knew better. Her feelings were apparent in the way she stood, leaning away instead of towards Talia.

His mother walked into their small circle and stood right in front of Artemis. Artemis took a step back. Damian wanted to scream at her, warn her not to submit, not to let Talia take control of the situation, and he could have over the mind-link, but it was down. Damian didn't know if it was because M'gann didn't want a repeat of what happened with Simon, just in case there was a psychic here, or if she hadn't even realized it had been disconnected.

"Zatanna is needed as a… _precaution_. Just so that Robin here stays and hears me out."

Damian could feel his teammates eyes all turn towards him, some curiously, and some apprehensively.

"What do you want?" Damian demanded, switching to Arabic. The language still came to his tongue easily.

He ignored the strange looks he could see being given by his friends, and in Artemis' case, expectancy. Oh. That's right. She was raised in a way very similar to him. Of course, she would recognize the dialect the League spoke, if not all the words, and not be shocked. She recognized his accent earlier. It's not that far a leap he would speak the language.

He still shouldn't have been so hasty, shouldn't have spoken in his cursed first language, but his senses seemed to have abandoned him in that moment, and there was no point in turning back now. He _will_ tell the Team about himself after this. They deserve to know.

"I wanted to speak with you, darling," she replied in kind, turning towards him, and walking close. As soon as she reached him, she knelt down to his eye level, still a step away. "Is that so wrong? A mother, wanting to speak to her heir?"

Damian's eyes narrow behind his mask and look her over. She doesn't look like she's lying. She is telling the truth about simply wanting to talk. It doesn't sit well with Damian that there is no underlying plan, no trap.

But, maybe she's changed. She certainly looks different enough. She's still gorgeous, but the corners of her eyes have the beginning of crows feet, and he can see a streak or two of grey in her hair.

Damian drinks in the changes. These signs of ageing, they show she hasn't used the Lazarus Pits recently, and maybe, just maybe, a small part of him whispers, if she's changed on the outside, she's changed on the inside.

Almost as if she can sense his weakness, she begins to talk again, voice a low and soothing cadence. "Come home, darling. I will not let your grandfather touch you. I can protect you. I helped train Jason. I can train you, make you perfect. Make you stronger in ways your father dares not. Trust me."

He heard the meaning underneath the words. She didn't think his father has done a good job raising him. She didn't think he's perfect. She wanted him to be more like Jason. A fire, that burns brightly and takes everything in its path. She wanted him to kill.

But… she also wanted to protect him from his grandfather. She wanted him with her. She missed him.

So Damian looked at his mother, really looked at her warm smile, and he was a child. Fourteen, yes, but a child. There was always a part of him, eight years old asking, in that small voice ' _Can't you love me for me?'_ Because he wanted his parents to love him, to love each other. He wanted them to be a family more than he will ever admit, more than when he first met his father, more than after learning his mother had implanted a control device in him under the guise of saving him, more than after she first showed him his clone, and said she couldn't love him properly until he was perfect.

For a moment, Damian let himself believe. There is, after all, something in Talia that Bruce loved, and maybe that means there was something in her that can be redeemed. Maybe there was something in her that protected him from his grandfather, something that overrode the motherly instinct and made her ignore him for the first eight years of his life. There is hope. Tentative, but there, and he was too deep into thinking past his mother's words and their direct meaning, what might, just might be hidden underneath, to think about the Team. There is only the hope.

Damian stepped forward, examining her face closer, the new marks of age and wear so much clearer a step closer. She was magnificent, even still. Surely, _surely_ , if she came home, if she became the woman that father had loved so, it could work? They stared each other down, reading weakness.

There; the cold of her eyes. The rest of her face looked warm in ways it hadn't before, but her eyes were the same. Cold with something he had never seen thawed. Something he never will, he realized. And then he understood, she was telling him a story, crafted carefully in the way she looked, the way she stood, the way she acted. A story he had so stupidly been willing to believe. The hope wilted, pulling into a knot of despair and anguish.

"You want a weapon, don't you?" he asked softly, Arabic still perfect despite his trembling voice. Something in him splinters. "Why did you have a son!? Why would you create me if you didn't want me?" The tears are welling behind his mask, but he cannot let them fall. He cannot be weak.

(He is. He is already weak.)

"You mistake me," Talia responded, her voice cool. She was unfazed by his outburst, and instead looked him right in the eyes. "I wanted an heir, not a son."

Damian, in that moment, understood the difference. _Son_ meant _loved_. _Heir_ meant _vessel_. The choking noise that had started to fill the room, he realized, was coming from him. How is he still so _weak_? How can she still _hurt_ him like this?

"I am glad I chose them over you," he said suddenly, his voice tremulous, but clear. "I am glad I chose father, and Nightwing, and Hood, and even Red Robin. My sister and Batgirl. They _love_ me. They love me more than you ever did. And I trust this Team more than I could ever trust you." English, because it's important that his friends know he trusts them, cares about them, even if this revelation shatters everything beyond repair.

"Oh, my little warrior." Talia stood up, then bent over him. Her hair was a silk curtain, enveloping them, her tone almost pitying. "Everything golden dies." She kissed his forehead, the gentlest touch he can remember from her, and straightened. A motion of the hand and they vanished back into the shadows and out the windows.

Damian rushed towards Zatanna, who had crumpled to the floor. Everyone else seemed to be in shock, keeping them from doing anything other than standing still, everyone other than Artemis, that was. She also rushed towards Zatanna.

They reached the raven-haired magician at the same time and reached for her. Damian felt a surge of apprehension because Zatanna hadn't moved yet, and what if she had been killed? What if that was his mother's punishment for him not going with her?

His fears were proven wrong a moment later when Zatanna stirred.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice quick and worried. His heart was beating fast.

Zatanna shook her head, then nodded. She looked up at him, and he was distraught to see a thin line of red on her neck. A mark.

"I'm fine, just a little sore." She smiled at him and Artemis, a weak, shaky thing, but a smile.

These words seemed to unfreeze the rest of their friends, and they all rushed over, cooing and coddling Zatanna. Damian backed up and sat on the floor. His mind was rushing. It wouldn't stop.

He had nearly lost Zatanna. He should have been more careful. Not let them be led into a trap so easily. Then no one would have been hurt.

Suddenly a pair of strong arms stand him on his feet and hold him up. He didn't fight it and instead leaned heavily against them.

"Shit, I'm so sorry kiddo," a gruff voice said. Todd, Damian realizes, then wonders where Todd came from. "Thought this was a different type of meeting, Jesus H Christ. I thought she was giving you that dumb book of poisons you've been wanting."

He sniffed, aware that the Team's eyes had all turned towards him. "Poisons are _useful_ , you lug. Let me go." Damian made no move to escape. The Team hovered, clearly unsure of what to do. They didn't know Todd, or they did, but only as Red Hood, a crime lord, and they were obviously ready for a fight. "Stop holding me, I am _not_ a child."

"No shit," Todd grumbled. "You're getting too big for this."

"Soon," Damian promised. "I shall be taller than you." The tears, lingering since the final showdown with his mother, had retreated at least.

"That'll be the day," Todd laughed.

Damian pulled away and looked at Todd. The red hood he wore was unsettling, in the way that Damian didn't know exactly where Todd was looking or whom.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was." Todd hesitated here. His posture screamed nervous. "Here, the whole time. I didn't know, I swear. Then I didn't help, because that would have just gotten you killed quicker."

Damian wasn't mad. He understood, honestly. His mother had lied to Todd, gotten him here, and Todd couldn't help, otherwise, Zatanna and maybe the others could have died. Unfortunately, the rest of the Team didn't seem to understand that.

They were all wearing faces of more than mild confusion. Damian wondered for a moment what they were so confused about, and he followed their gaze, straight to Todd. Todd was known as the Red Hood, a man who killed criminals, and to Gothamites, the man who ruled the drug trade.

He may be known to help people sometimes, but he was also known for his huge battles with Batman. Granted, he hadn't had a big fight in nearly a two years, but the old ones were well known the crime fighting community. Add to that the fact that Red Hood always seemed to stay out of prison, and was allowed to work in Gotham, well, people were unsure about him, and that meant the Team was unsure about him.

It occurred to Damian that the scene they had just seen him play out with Todd had probably done nothing to help their confusion on the subject. They wanted to stop him, for his crimes, old and recent, but they also weren't sure how Damian would react.

Damian decided to clear it up for them, to keep anyone from killing him, or more likely, to keep him from killing anyone.

"This is my brother, Red Hood," Damian said.

The Team looked completely shocked, and if it were a different time and place, under different circumstances, he would have laughed. As it was, his lips quirked upward in a small smirk.

"Aww, you called me your brother. I'm touched."

Damian ignored him, and kept his eyes on the Team, gauging their reactions. Kaldur looked as calm as always. Wally looked understandably shocked, and a little star-struck. M'gann looked confused but slightly less defensive than everyone else. Conner was tense, as if ready to leap into battle, and only Damian standing there was stopping him. Raquel looked… Damian wasn't sure. Yes, Raquel was on the Team, but she'd only been for a few weeks, and he didn't quite have a read on her yet, but she looked shocked. Artemis seemed, warier than anyone else, but also more open.

"Your brother is the crime lord everyone in Gotham fears," Artemis said in a deadpan. She didn't even seem surprised.

"Yes, " Damian said, even though she hadn't been looking for confirmation. "And," here he paused and looked everyone in the eyes one by one. "I promise I'll explain everything. Really."

Everyone froze further, seeming to be deep in thought, and then, by some unspoken agreement, they nodded. (M'gann must have connected them, excluding him, to talk. He didn't let that hurt him. He didn't.)

"Thank you," he said, and he was sure the relief was evident in his voice because a few of them shared meaningful glances.

He turned away from them suddenly, remembering the box with his tracker on top. That could hold what he's looking for. It could hold his sword. Once he reached it, he swept the blinking tracker into one of the pocket sewn into his utility belt. Then he opened the lid of the box and peered inside. A moment later, he slammed it shut.

"Superboy, could you help me carry this into the Bio-ship?" he asked in a clear change of subject. "We got what we came for."


	7. Reveals

**Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

The ride back to the mountain could be described in one word; tense. At least, that's how it felt to Damian. For all he knew, his friends could be thinking of cupcakes and rainbows, not his impending explanation of recent that wasn't likely.

No, Damian was sure everyone was thinking about what he could possibly say that would explain everything. Why Talia al Ghul wanted to talk to him. Why his brother was an anti-hero. And he was sure Artemis would mention that only members of the League of Assassins could speak the dialect of Arabic he was speaking.

He had promised himself that he would tell them everything about him. He was allowed to. His father had granted him permission. It was only the fear of what would happen if they found out about his past that kept him silent. Now, now he really had no choice.

A small part of him whispered that maybe it wasn't so bad, being forced to tell. If he hadn't been put in this position, he probably would have kept silent forever, to spare the chance of losing anyone. This way was better.

Maybe he would leave out some of the bloodier parts of his past though. Not to hide it, but to keep from losing any of them. He didn't want to see their faces when they found out he had been, still was, a killer.

Suddenly Damian was jerked out of his thoughts as the Bio-ship came to a halt. He shook his head slightly to clear the cobwebs infesting his brain and peered out the window. They were back at the mountain.

Damian sat up straighter as the seat unbuckled itself and stretched his arms out, then cracked his neck, slowly. By the time he'd finished making himself feel less stiff, everyone was gone. He took a deep breath of relief. He would have to get off in a minute, but the time he had left, before anyone came looking, he could use to gather his thoughts. He needed to if he was going to make any sense explaining… everything to them.

After taking a few deep breaths, he was ready, or as ready as he would ever be. Damian went towards the back of the Bio-ship and down the ramp. No one was in the hanger. He paused for a moment, hand on the wall of the ship. Where were they? Wouldn't they want him to explain everything right away? What if he ran off or something?

But, Damian realized, they were all sentimental fools, though he thought of them as such very fondly. They were so trusting. And they trusted him. Even with everything questionable that had happened; Talia being so familiar with him. Letting Todd leave without stopping him. His mysterious box. Even with all of that, they still trusted him.

And honestly, Damian could use a break. He wanted to get changed into civvies. It was late. And maybe some sleep would do him good as well. He could do that, take a moment to relax. They would understand, especially since they seemed to be doing the same thing.

He walked down the hallway with the silent steps of one who'd trained for years and into his room. It was just how it'd always been. Plain. Empty. Impersonal. The perfect room to make sure nothing about him would be given away. Today, he hated it. How he wished to just go home to his own room, filled with his sketch pads and pencils. Somewhere familiar.

Normally he wasn't bothered by his room here. It wasn't like he slept in it often, or even entered it. Today he just wanted to be somewhere he felt safe. After what had transferred over the last few hours, it would be welcome. That wasn't destined to be though.

As soon as he locked his door, he stripped his uniform off and left it crumpled on the floor. In his head, he could hear Alfred's voice chiding him, but he ignored it and went straight into his bathroom and turned on cold water before jumping in the shower. His shower was short, and he had to be careful of his stitches. When he was done, he stepped out and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt with a large Superman symbol covering it.

It was only once he was in the civvies that he finally allowed himself to relax, and peered at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't very different from this morning. Maybe a little bit paler, but he could attribute that to blood loss and stress. His eyes were the same tired green eyes. Nothing about him had fundamentally changed, yet he felt different. It was contradictory.

Damian turned away from the mirror, and walked back into his would go out to the living room and talk to them in a minute, he just wanted a moment to collect himself. Before he knew anything, the room faded into black and Damian felt himself sinking into a deep sleep, brought on by exhaustion.

* * *

When Damian blinked his eyes open, he was confused. Had it been a dream? As the last vestiges of sleep faded away, he became sure that no, it wasn't a dream. The events of yesterday had indeed happened. He rolled out of bed, and as soon as he was standing up, stretched languidly.

The alarm clock beside his bed read 7:23 A.M., which meant he'd slept well past his usual time to wake up. Though he would normally be angry at himself for breaking routine, he wasn't. Yesterday had been emotionally exhausting, and he was sure today would be too, but he did wish he had at least known he would fall asleep. But the Team would still be here, that was what he thought.

His guess was proven right when he entered the kitchen and saw the whole Team in various states of dishevelment eating breakfast at the table. All eyes turned towards him when he entered and widened. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses.

It was enough to make him give a short bark of laughter, which made everyone jump.

"If I am explaining what is going on… if I am going to trust you," he said, taking a seat at the table and letting his eyes roam over them. "Then it will be with everything."

They were all stunned into silence. Damian wasn't sure if it was because of his sudden trust in them, or if it was his open honesty. They may be his friends, but he wasn't known for being an open book, even to Wally.

"Then lay it on us," Artemis said suddenly. She leaned forward on the table, elbows propped up while her hands held up her chin. "What was all that about with Talia al Ghul, Robin?"

"Damian," he said. "My name is Damian. And… that would be part of a very long story."

"Then let's hear it, Damian," Wally said, testing his friend's name out slowly, especially for a speedster. "What's the story, dude?"

"We won't judge you," Zatanna said calmly. A fresh bandage covered her throat. "You're still our friend."

Damian didn't know how the magician had located where his reservation were already, but she had. And Damian believed her, that they were all his friends no matter what. Every part of his training told him not to, and the paranoid voice of his father was whispering that no one could be fully trusted. But Damian wasn't his father, and he no longer wanted to be.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Batman is my father," he said, and watched his friends, judging their reactions. Most didn't see too surprised but did look quite confused.

"But, what about your accent? Batman doesn't have that," Wally pointed out.

"Well, no," Damian admitted. "I did not grow up with my father. My mother raised me until she was… no longer able to," Damian settled on.

"She didn't… die, did she?" M'gann asked innocently. "You felt, and I'm not reading your mind, I swear! But you felt really sad when you talked about your mom."

"No, she is not dead." Damian looked down at his clasped hands. "You met her last night."

Damian waited for the conclusion to come to everyone. The first one to voice their thoughts was Raquel.

"Talia al Ghul! That's your mom! Batman and Talia al Ghul are your parents!"

Damian nodded his head. "Yes."

"That's… no offense, dude, but that's just crazy! Batman and Talia al Ghul _dated_?" Wally asked incredulously.

Damian scoffed and looked up at his redheaded friend. "No. They met when my father was training to become Batman with the League of Assassins. She was… interested in him. They may have before I was born, but not as far as I know."

"You were raised in the League of Assassins," Artemis said, and Damian was both thankful and horror-stricken that she pointed it out. It did need to be addressed because he'd promised to show what was in the box they'd recovered, but he really, _really_ didn't want to. She said it like she already knew, which she did. She'd figured it out the moment he dropped his faux accent.

"Yes," Damian said serenely, trying to maintain a calm. "I was."

"How old... how old were you when you got away," Artemis choked out. Damian was sure that she was the most horrified because she knew what they were capable of.

"Ten," Damian said. "I remember it. I told my father that I thought he would be taller."

Wally gave a short bark of laughter, and soon Damian joined him, and then everyone was drowning in hysterical giggles, despite the lack of humor at the situation.

Finally, they all managed to curb it.

"So, if you're telling us your name, are you going to tell us Batman's name?" Conner asked.

Damian shook his head. "I will give you my last name. That should be enough. Wayne."

A beat of silence.

"Oh my god. You're _Bruce Wayne's_ son!" Raquel shrieked. "Bruce Wayne is _Batman_!"

Damian nodded his head.

"I met you," Artemis said. "You're that creepy freshie that took my picture and then ran off with the redheaded kid."

Damian gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to see if you would recognize me."

Artemis smiled lightly and shook her head while muttering under her breath good-naturedly.

"So, what about your fighting style? I mean, if you lived with the League until you were ten, then you would have learned their style of fighting. You're only fourteen, dude, and I doubt that's enough to change a whole style," Wally pointed out. "But you flip around like you were trained that way since you were born."

"I may or may not have taken Nightwing's style a bit. He is a talented acrobat," Damian admitted.

"Wait, if Nightwing is your brother, and Red Robin, and Red Hood, does that mean they're Bruce Wayne's other kids?" M'gann asked.

"I do not believe Red Hood could be. As far as I am aware, Bruce Wayne only has three sons," Kaldur said. Everyone's heads snapped to him. He hadn't spoken yet, so it surprised them all. But it settled Damian's fear that Kaldur might suddenly hate him.

"So, are we gettin' to see what's in that box we rescued, and why your… mom took it?" Zatanna asked. She said 'mom' like it made a weird taste in her mouth.

"Yes," Damian said. "But… it is a little different than you might expect."

Damian stood up and walked out to the hanger, where the box sat innocently in front of the Bio-ship as if it wasn't about to possibly destroy his friendships. He knelt down in front of it, took a deep breath, and opened the case.

Inside, just like yesterday night, was his sword. Surrounded by white paper, it almost looked innocent, but to Damian's eyes, it was stained red forever with the blood of those he'd killed. Yet, he was still grateful it didn't seem to be damaged.

"This is my sword," he said, keeping his eyes on the sharp edges. "My mother gave it to me the first time I met her when I was eight."

"Why, why did she take it yesterday?" Wally asked. For once he seemed completely serious.

"To get my attention," Damian admitted. "It is the only gift I received from her. She knows it is important to me, even if I do not use it anymore."

"Anymore?" Kaldur asked.

Damian took a deep breath. This was it. "I was… misguided as a child. I was raised by the League of Assassins. You know their tradition for old members, Artemis? Or perhaps the stories around four years ago spreading in Gotham?"

Artemis inhaled sharply, then looked at Damian. He raised his eyes and met her gaze. "After a member of the League is unable to perform their duties, they are killed by newer members. And in Gotham, when Robin first started, there were rumours about some person who got their head chopped off."

Damian averted his eyes from Artemis'. He could feel everyone's gaze on him. He didn't move or say anything. He simply closed the box again and waited.

Finally, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Damian looked up and met Wally's green eyes.

"Dude, you may have made a mistake, but it happens to everyone. And it's not like you knew it was wrong at the time. I, we aren't just going to stop being your friends."

"Yeah, man. We're a team," Raquel said and punched him in the shoulder.

"Robin, Damian. You regret it. You wish it hadn't happened. And besides, my uncle J'onn has killed in war before. It's not too different," M'gann said softly.

"You do not need to fear, Damian," Kaldur said, placing a hand on Damian's shoulder.

"No, you don't," Zatanna said, and kissed him gently on the cheek before moving away. Damian saw her cheeks were tinted red, and he was sure his were as well.

"So," Artemis began. "Anymore surprises we should look out for? People to meet?"

"Well," Damian said, looking at her with a smirk. "There are three, maybe four, but you won't meet them anytime soon."


	8. Epilogue

**Here are the names of everyone who guess Damian's red-haired friend's name:**

 **Adam'sStillinHell**

 **Aya**

 **Jayfeathers Friend**

 **PhantomGoat13**

 **IloveRobin1822**

 **Aki**

 **Great job, guys!**

 **Also, Echoes 01 had a great guess! It wasn't right, but you've totally given me a wonderful idea for when I finally get around to a sequel! Thanks so much!**

 **Edited as of 4/16/18.**

* * *

Damian left to return his sword to its case, he was stopped by Zatanna.

"I'm glad you told us," she said, and then kissed him full on the lips for the first time since New Year's. Damian was taken by surprise momentarily, but he adjusted and kissed her back. It was a nice kiss.

Moments later though, he had to leave, so he said goodbye and entered the zeta-beam.

The sword was returned to its case successfully, and when his father arrived later that day and asked how staying at the mountain had been, Damian replied with a nonchalant 'Fine'.

Something in his face must have given him away though because his father grinned smugly and asked if he'd had a nice time kissing Zatanna.

But other than his father's occasional teasing about him having a girlfriend, things stayed the same. He continued working with the Team, but in free time kept sunglasses off. He stopped using an accent around them. Stopped trying so hard to avoid all of his League training.

Wally and Zatanna came over to the Manor sometimes, as did the rest of them, but mostly Wally and Zatanna.

Everything seemed to have worked out for the best. It was confusing, and normal, and nice.

And really, Damian couldn't have wished for anything better.


End file.
